


Filling In the Missing Pieces

by gray_autumn_sky



Series: Missing Year Fics [21]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, Hood-Mills Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-21
Updated: 2018-07-21
Packaged: 2019-06-13 19:35:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,294
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15371808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gray_autumn_sky/pseuds/gray_autumn_sky
Summary: Dimples Queen fluff. Robin watches Regina cuddling with Roland after reading him a bedtime story and reflects on the first time he saw them together like this during the missing year.





	Filling In the Missing Pieces

Robin leans against the frame of the door, smiling gently as he watches Regina and Roland.

He loves watching her with his son and he finds that every time he stumbles upon an unsolicited moment between the two of them, he falls in love with her just a little bit more. There are times it still amazes him how lucky he is to have found her—how improbable it had once seemed. After Marian died, he was convinced he’d never love again—it simply wasn’t possible and if he was being honest, he just wasn’t interested. And if he did find someone who could love him, who he wanted to love, he never thought he’d find someone who loved his son so fully. He smiles, glad that he was proven wrong.

He remembers the first time they met in the Enchanted Forest—even then he could see through the blunt and biting sarcasm she used to hide her battered and broken heart. He remembers the first time she confided in him—just for a moment—and told him about the son she loved more than anything else in the world, the son she’d never see again, the son she missed with every fiber of her being. The moment didn’t last long, but it was enough for him to see there was much more to her than what met the eye. It piqued his curiosity and made him pay closer attention—and when he did, he found himself undeniably falling in love.

He remembers how her abrasiveness would fade away at the sight of Roland, the way she would smile when he entered the room and the way she brightened when he’d choose to sit beside her in a crowded room. Without knowing her, Roland had been drawn to her and she never once pushed him away. He remembers one night when he woke in a panic to find Roland missing from his bed. With a racing heart, he began searching the castle, only stopping at Regina’s room when he saw the glow of her fire—he only wondered if she’d seen Roland; he never expected to find him there.

But there he was, sitting on her lap in front of the fireplace. Roland’s eyes were heavy, but there was a soft smile on his face and a matching smile on hers. His head rested against her chest and she rocked him slowly. Robin listened for a moment—listening as Regina told him a tale of a knight who saved some far away kingdom in a distant time. The boy’s eyes fluttered and he could tell that his son was beginning to drift off to sleep, smiling contently at the rhythmic sound of her soft voice. Her hand rubbed gently up and down the boy’s arm, in a comforting and soothing way. For a moment, he thought about interrupting—thanking her for her kindness, apologizing for his son’s intrusion, and taking Roland back to his own bed; but, he decided against it—it was obvious she didn’t see Roland’s presence as an intrusion and for the first time he thought that she might look happy or at the very least, not unhappy.So he stepped back and gave them their moment, knowing that he son was safe in her arms.

Then, she’d been a mother without a child and he’d been a boy without a mother—the perfect pair.

Now, she is a constant in his son’s life. The two of them have settled into a nightly ritual—after Roland’s bath, Regina gets him settled into bed and then reads him a bedtime story. She does all of the character’s voices no matter how ridiculous she sounds or how many characters there are; and she never gets annoyed when he asks a million questions that interrupt the story and doesn’t care that he asks to hear the same parts over and over again. It’s easy to see how much Roland has come to love this time with her—how much he’s come to love her. And it’s easy to see how much she loves him.

Roland is asleep and the book his folded over on the bed beside him. Robin suspects that Roland has been asleep for some time, but Regina looks perfectly content where she is and is in no rush to leave him. Though he’s usually a good sleeper, Roland doesn’t like to be alone—something Regina has somehow always, almost instinctively known. She’s never rushed story time or been impatient when he asked her to read more because he wasn’t yet tired enough to fall asleep. She lets him doze off on his own and stays with him long after she’s sure he’s asleep.

He watches as she lies beside him, combing her fingers soothingly through his hair—they both look so peaceful.

Regina smiles when she notices him and glances at her watch, suddenly aware of how late it is. Carefully, she slides out of the small, twin-sized bed and drops a light kiss on Roland’s cheek. She smiles gently as she whispers something that Robin can’t quite hear, yet still manages to make his heart melt.

“I didn’t mean to interrupt,” he says softly. “I was just coming up to check on you. It’s just getting late.”

She tucks a bookmark into the book and places it on the nightstand beside the bed. “You weren’t interrupting,” she tells him with a smile as she looks back at the sleeping boy. “He reminds me so much of Henry at this age—except we read comic books instead of Harry Potter.”

Robin smiles as the thought of a young Henry curled up beside his mother, drifting off to sleep to dream about superheroes saving the day. It’s incredibly appropriate, he decides.

Regina comes closer, her arms link around his neck and his hands find her waist and settle on her hips. “We are so lucky to have you,” he tells her, softly pecking her lips.

She grins, “I feel pretty lucky to have you guys, too.”

Reaching out, he tucks a few stray strands of hair behind her ear. “Truly, I couldn’t ask for a better mother for my son.”

Her smile widens and her cheeks flush a little; her eyes are searching his and he realizes it’s the first time he’s ever referred to her as Roland’s mother aloud, though it’s a title she’s held for quite some time.

Neither of them says anything more, but he can tell that she’s more than touched by the sentiment in his words. Standing on the tips of her toes, she hovers her lips above his before leaning in the rest of the way and kissing him. The kiss is soft and sweet, full of gratitude and love. He fills in her missing pieces and she does the same for him. For so long, they’ve both searched for a place to belong, yearned for a real family. They’ve both been close before, but always, there was a piece missing from the puzzle, a crack in the surface. It wasn’t pixie dust that brought them together—they’re matching puzzle pieces, fitting together perfectly, complimenting each other in different ways, and giving each other whatever it is that they were missing. Together, the four of them have become a complete package—they’ve become a family.

She pulls back and her smile is full of love. Taking his hands in hers, she turns around and pulls him out of the bedroom; he flicks the light switch and the nightlight as they go and he smiles as she takes one last glance at Roland before she leads him out of the room.

Now in the room alone Roland’s eyes flutter open and he grins—he has a mother.


End file.
